Postdoctoral Position
University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
Application deadline: 13 Feb 2014
Project Title: Structure and function of the essential M2-1 protein of human respiratory syncytial virus
Our laboratories are interested in understanding the structural and cellular biology of a variety of negative strand RNA viruses. One of these viruses is human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV), which is the leading cause of lower respiratory tract illness in young children and the immunocompromised, and has been linked to adult asthma. We recently determined the first X-ray crystal structure of the HRSV M2-1 protein, which is an essential transcriptional anti-terminator (Tanner et al., PNAS, 2014). The current project seeks to further understand the essential role of M2-1 in viral mRNA transcription, and will involve both X-ray crystallography and cell biological approaches using live recombinant virus and genome analog analysis.
You will have a PhD (or be close to completion) in Structural Molecular Biology or a closely allied discipline, together with a proven track record of protein structure solution using X-ray crystallography. Experience of working with viruses in mammalian cell culture is highly desirable.
